photography: Rex Perry Before: A hand-me-down wood end table has potential but needs an update.

Brush, Roller, or Spray

Furniture with fine details or round spindles is easiest to paint with a sprayer. Small sponge rollers lay down a smooth finish on flat surfaces and work great on tabletops. Brush painting also works well on pieces with large flat areas. Brush and roller marks can be greatly reduced with latex paint conditioners like Floetrol from Flood. Conditioners added to the paint increase the wet time and allow brush marks to lie down before the paint dries. Synthetic bristle brushes are for latex paint, and natural bristle brushes are for oil-based paint.

photography: Rex Perry A paint sprayer is ideal for covering the delicate details of the end table.

To Prime, or Not to Prime

The answer is easy: always prime before painting. Primer contains additives that are like glue. The primer sticks to the furniture, and paint sticks well to the primer. Minor surface defects can be smoothed over by fine sanding between light coats of primer.

1,2,3, Done!

photography: Rex Perry After: Adding some color to the formerly dark wood table provides a fresh look. The sage green gives the table a delicate and youthful feel.

Step 1 – A light sanding reduces imperfections and helps primer adhere to glossy surfaces. Sanding sponges work particularly well for tiny nooks and grooves. Liquid surface preparations or deglossers will work if you're happy with the existing surface of the piece. Wipe the surface with a tack cloth just before priming.

Step 2 – Apply a light coat of primer. Sand out any dust marks or imperfections before applying the finish coat.

Step 3 – Don't get impatient and apply a single heavy coat of paint. Drips and runs from paint overloading will ruin your hard work. Let you paint dry between coats. The best environment for painting is a covered dust-free area. Painting outdoors on a calm day isn't horrible, but realize you may be picking bugs and dust out of your finish.